You have all heard the phrase that a dog is not just for Christmas. Shocking figures have revealed that for some people a puppy is not even for Christmas as Britain seems to be gripped in a puppy dumping epidemic.

New research shows that one in 10 puppies are needing new homes after just one month of pet ownership.

While the number of abandoned or stray dogs remains at the lowest its has been in 20 years, according to the Dogs Trust charity 66,277 stray dogs were taken in by local authorities in the UK last year, including 627 in Cornwall alone, with 57 having to be rehomed and three dogs having to be put down.

Too many puppies end up having to be rehomed after a month because owners weren't prepared for what having a dog entails

The study by Devon-based natural pet food makers Forthglade shows that taking on a puppy seems too much for many owners who do not always realise what raising a happy and healthy pet actually involves.

Their survey revealed that 54% of new owners admit they realised taking on a dog was a mistake as soon as they brought the dog home, and 40% underestimated the commitment required to raise a dog.

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More than a quarter of people said the commitment of having to be at home to look after their young puppy was too much to take on while 25% stated that taking on a puppy was as hard as having a newborn baby.

TV Vet Steve Leonard is backing a campaign to encourage anyone wishing to take on a puppy to do their research and really know what's involved before they bring any animal home.

It comes as 39% of puppy owners said they wished they’d known more about how to care for a puppy before they had got one, while 13% admitted they had done no research before committing to getting a dog.

TV vet Steve Leonard

Mr Leonard said: "The results of this poll are deeply concerning. Unfortunately there is a real lack of education around what’s involved when taking on a puppy. Raising a dog of any age requires consistent gentle handling, teaching and care and this is never more crucial than when you welcome a puppy into your family."

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He added: "Preparation is everything from vaccinations and puppy-proofing to ensuring your dog has a nourishing, balanced diet.

"There will be so much to learn about your puppy, their needs, character and health. Getting to know your new puppy won't happen overnight but there is nothing more heart-warming than seeing the bond between an older dog and its owner, from a lifetime working together to make each other’s lives better – and this comes from getting it right from the start."

Figures for Cornwall show that last year 963 stray dogs ended up being picked up by Cornwall Council with 94 having to be rehomed and three being put down. The previous year Cornwall Council had to deal with 1,065 stray dogs, rehoming 115 and putting down six.

Gerard Lovell, joint managing director at Forthglade, said: "We know a puppy is bought with the best intentions, but when the reality of the situation hits home, that’s when the panic sets in.

"Welcoming a dog into the family can be a wonderful experience but sadly if you’re not fully prepared, things can go wrong very quickly and this is when we see puppies being dumped at rescue centres or sold on online."

Katherine Clark with Roffey - why I had to have him rehomed

Katherine Clark decided to get a puppy when her children left home and she was experiencing ‘empty nest’ syndrome.

Having previously owned Golden Retrievers she knew what lovely company a dog could be and made the assumption that a smaller dog would be easier to look after. She also wanted a change of pace and felt that getting a dog would improve her work/life balance.

Conscious that she needed to thoroughly research her decision to get a puppy, she spent six months gathering information.

She said: "I felt very comfortable that the breeders were established on Kennel Club and that the puppy’s parental history was detailed. All the relevant health checks were verified by the breeder’s vet and certificates sent over to me, I was confident they were genuine and that breeding had been to a strong standard."

She fell in love with a miniature schnauzer from a local Kennel Club breeder, who was eight weeks old when she collected him.

Katherine, who lives in Truro, added: "The first few months with Roffey were great. I was under less pressure in my job and I was able to get home at lunchtime to feed him so he was never left on his own all day. I also really enjoyed spending time with him, going on long walks and he even came paddle boarding with me."

However when Roffey was nine months old, things started to change. He become more inquisitive and it was becoming obvious that he was bored and lonely when Katherine was at work.

She added: "The situation was starting to make me feel very sad and unhappy, meanwhile his behaviour was starting becoming increasingly mischievous. The pressure had ramped back up at work and I was making regular trips to London overnight.

"I knew that it would be harder to be there for him as much as I needed to be and although my neighbour was a loving dog sitter, I felt it wasn’t fair to be away from home so much. I very quickly came to the conclusion that I had to do something about it.

"I talked to the vets, to friends of the family and friends who owned pets. Fortunately the vets were amazing and recommended that I looked on the Kennel Club website to find someone suitable to adopt him.

"Having a small dog was higher maintenance than I had expected and with hindsight I probably left his puppy training a little too late at four months old. I also didn’t factor in that he needed grooming every six weeks so he was an expensive breed to look after."

Katherine soon received a message from someone local who was an ex-veterinary nurse with a wonderful gated private house, half an acre of woodland and another miniature schnauzer that Roffey was totally comfortable with.

Fortunately there was a happy ending for everyone involved.

Katherine added: "I have never regretted my decision to re-home Roffey. At the end of the day I had to do what was right for the dog under the circumstances. He went to a wonderful new home and the owner kept me posted on how he was doing. I know he has always been healthy and happy and that I did the best for him."

The Dog Trust said that on average 60% of strays were reunited with their owners but last year almost 4,000 dogs could not be reunited with their owner because the microchip details were out of date.

That meant that the dogs were rehomed or put down.

Lee Paris, Dogs Trust senior campaigns officer, said: "Our stray dog survey is a double-edged sword. Whilst showing the greatest reduction in stray numbers since records began, the findings also demonstrate that owners are failing to follow the law when it comes to ensuring the details on the microchip are up-to-date and that they wear a collar and tag.

"By encouraging people to check their own dog’s microchip is up-to-date we hope that we can increase people’s awareness of the issue and continue to reduce the number of stray dogs across the country.

"If owners ensure their dogs have up-to-date microchip details, a collar and tag and can come back when called, they can avoid their beloved pet becoming another statistic.

"We want to make sure that dogs and their owners can be reunited as quickly as possible – helping to make sure that a dog is for life."

Dogs are for life which is why prospective owners should be aware of what it involves

Steve Leonard’s top tips for keeping your new puppy safe, happy and in optimum health as he grows.

Register with a vet as soon as possible: Your relationship with your vet is crucial. Even if your pup has already had its primary vaccines, you should bring it to the vet in the first few days to be weighed and have a health check. Problems found now can save a lot of heartache later. Your vet will also check your puppy’s microchip, which should have been implanted already.

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Get pet insurance: No-one can predict when the worst will happen. Speak to other dog owners about their experiences with pet insurance, as there are good and bad policies out there.

Regular worming: All puppies have some worms, as they are passed from mum to pup, while the pups are still inside mum. These roundworms are very active in the first six months of life, so regular worming is essential. Some areas of the country have more dangerous parasites, such as lungworm, so discuss prevention with your vet.

Fleas, ticks and mites: There are many external parasites that your pup can pick up too. Some are more bothersome than others. I have seen flea infestations cause severe anaemia in puppies, so they shouldn’t be ignored. While ticks can transmit nasty diseases. Preventative treatments for tick bites are much more effective these days, so discuss the options with your vet.

Having a dog can be so much fun but it is also a big commitment you should be prepared for

A balanced diet: A nourishing, natural diet that is right for the growth and the size of your dog is so important. Feeding lots of treats - especially human food - can unbalance your pup’s diet and lead to serious health problems, like poor bone growth or obesity. Dogs like ‘working’ for their food, as it satisfies their foraging instincts. There are lots of simple ‘puzzle feeders’ you can buy that will slow down your dog’s eating and help make meal times more fun.

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Toxic foods and plants: Just like when you have a toddler, your house and garden will need puppy proofing, to make sure anything unsafe is kept out of harm’s way. Dogs have fantastic noses for sniffing out food. So, make sure any food you don’t want your pup to eat is well out of reach.

Kernow Vets has seen an increase in dogs being treated for chocolate toxicity

Some human foods and common garden plants can be toxic to dogs, so watch out for these especially:

· chocolate

· grapes and raisins

· onions and garlic

· mouldy food, found in the bin or compost

· corn on the cob, which can block a dog’s intestines

· sweets containing Xylitol

· cooked bones, which are very attractive to dogs but are brittle and have sharp fragments that can lodge in a dog’s guts

· dogs will happily eat packets of painkillers and other pills, so, keep these locked away.

Below is some advice from Cornwall Council on what happens if you lose you dog:

I have lost my dog

If you've lost your dog and it is not on the list of dogs Cornwall Council has collected call 0300 1234 212 to register your dog missing. We will take your details so we can contact you if we receive a report related to your dog.

You might wish to speak to local vets to check if your dog has been handed in to them and may wish to register with DogLost who are a not for profit organisation that looks to reunite lost dogs with their owners.

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No dog will be released without payment in full of all relevant fees and charges and costs incurred.

I have found a dog

If a lost/stray dog has a tag with contact details on it, try and contact the owner first before contacting Cornwall Council. If you are unable to make contact with the owner or the dog does not have an identity tag please contact us on 0300 1234 212.

We will need:

your contact details (name, address, telephone number)

a description of the dog, i.e. its type, colour, size

time, date and location where you found the dog.

The council took in a total of 627 stray dogs so far last year

The details that you give us will be recorded in our lost dogs register. A dog welfare and enforcement officer will then collect the dog. Outside of normal office hours we will arrange collection up to 10pm from a local police station. Please note that we do not provide a 24 hour collection service for lost dogs.

How to get your dog back

In office hours

Call us on 0300 1234 212 and speak to the dog warden.

If we have your dog we will take a payment for any fees owed, and then arrange the release with you.

Out of office hours

Out of hours means the hours between 5pm and 9am the following working day.

Call the dog warden on 0300 1234 212 to arrange the release and they will tell you the amount owed. Out of hours releases only take place at weekends and bank holidays where the dog has correct identification.

Take the payment receipt that you are emailed with you to meet the dog warden to collect your dog.

Cuteness alert! But these puppies will grow and will need require more attention (Image: Pixabay)

You do not have to use the out of hours service, and can chose to wait until the next working day and not pay the additional costs.

How much does it cost?

If your dog has been picked up as a stray you will need to pay a minimum release and admin fee of £77. Should your dog be placed into kennels there is an additional expense of £13 per day or part day, as well as other potential costs described below. This is to cover the cost of looking after your dog.

If you would like your dog back out of hours there is an additional charge of £45 and an additional charge of £35 for any dogs collected out of hours.

Dogs will only be released out of hours at weekends/bank holidays up until 4pm - where the details on the microchip are up to date and correct.

You will also be responsible for any fees incurred such as vet's fees.

Charges for stray dogs that are kennelled

Fee classification

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Standard

£90

£103

£116

£129

£142

£155

£168

With Out of Hours Collection Fee (where applicable)

N/A

£138

£151

£164

£177

£190

£203

With Out Of Hours Return Fee

N/A

£148

£161

£174

£187

£200

£213

With Out Of Hours Collection and Out Of Hours Return Fee

£157

£170

£183

£196

£209

£222

£235

You will need to contact your local dog welfare and enforcement Officer on 0300 1234 212 in order to make arrangements to collect your dog.

Owners have seven full days from the date the dog is found to claim their stray dog. If the dog is unclaimed after the seventh day it will be re-homed by the council and the owner will no longer have any claim to the dog.

The owner of the dogs may still be liable to pay costs for any unclaimed dogs.

What happens to stray dogs?

All dogs found or handled by us are scanned for a micro-chip and where they are micro-chipped the owner is contacted to arrange return of their dog.

Where the owner can be contacted immediately the dog is released and no kennel charges are normally incurred (although you will be charged a release fee).

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Where the owner can't be contacted or is unable to collect their dog at that time the dog is normally taken to kennels, and additional kennelling costs are incurred as above.

Rehoming

Cornwall Council will endeavour to re-home all stray dogs suitable for re-homing if they are not claimed by their owner within seven days.

A spokesman said: "Only in the most severe cases - such as being too aggressive to be re-homed or following advice from a vet - will a stray dog be put down.

"We work with re-homing charities and ensure that all re-homed dogs are checked by a vet checked and are micro-chipped, vaccinated and castrated/neutered. Home visits are carried out to ensure that dogs only go to suitable homes.

"We recommend that all dogs that you are not intending to breed from are neutered/castrated in order to avoid unwanted puppies. Speak to one of our dog welfare and enforcement officers or your vet, who will be able to give advice. In order to promote responsible dog ownership all dogs that we re-home are castrated/spayed."